It's the worst-kept secret in the NHL that the Minnesota Wild are trying to trade for Detroit Red Wings center and captain Dylan Larkin. In need of a top-line center in a weak market, the Wild seemingly struck gold when Larkin requested a trade, and they were on his limited destination wishlist. Even though Larkin carried the no-movement clause, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman does hold final say and he said he's not trading Larkin unless he gets a good enough return.
Considering the fact that the Wild have yet to acquire Larkin, it goes to show they haven't made a strong enough offer for the Red Wings to give the thumbs up on a trade.
Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman provided some details on the Wild's pursuit of Larkin in the final 32 Thoughts Podcast episode of the season. Friedman says that the Wild's offer has been "futures oriented," which isn't what the Red Wings are interested in.
Red Wings are just not interested in what Wild are offering for Dylan Larkin
“I think he's probably gone to Yzerman and said this is the best I can do," said Friedman. "And obviously, I think that it's probably more futures-oriented because he doesn't want to make his team worse. And that's not what Yzerman is willing to do right now. So I don't think he'll... It's not his nature to give up until either the player is his or the player is somewhere else. I could see Yzerman saying, ‘hey, I'll deal you Larkin, but it's going to cost you someone like [Joel] Eriksson Ek.’ And I could see Guerin saying, 'I'm not doing that.' I want Larkin and I want Eriksson Ek. So how do you navigate that? Right now, he can't.”
Simply put, the Wild aren't offering anything that the Red Wings want to willingly give away Larkin.
Yes, even though Larkin requested a trade due to their lack of playoff appearances and a rocky relationship with Yzerman, the general manager still holds the cards. Considering the Red Wings collapsed late in the season to miss out on the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, they don't necessarily want to blow up the roster and enter a rebuild. Thus, they want some pro-ready players in return.
Friedman's Sportsnet colleague Nick Kypreos revealed recently that the Red Wings are not against trading Larkin to the Wild, and they would consider it if Matt Boldy were part of the return. Considering how important Boldy is for the Wild, that feels like a non-starter. Additionally, Kypreos said that the Wild have "nothing else [Yzerman] is too interested in" for Larkin.
The Wild don't have many young players and assets they can offer, as they gave up Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and Liam Ohgren in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Quinn Hughes. While names like Charlie Stramel and Danila Yurov have been pitched by reporters and insiders, they don't hold the value the Wild hoped for. Thus, they are stuck in a holding pattern for Larkin.
Unless things change, the Wild may be stuck waiting on Larkin. Yzerman is certainly patient enough to keep Larkin on the roster, even for the start of next season.
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